Journey Through the Yunnan-Tibet Region Without Leaving Shanghai

By That's Shanghai, 2019-07-15 17:47:01

The highly-anticipated ‘Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival’ was unveiled over the weekend at Modern Media’s Shanghai Modern Space located at Shanghai No. 8 Bridge Creative Space. Friday's opening ceremony featured a performance by Tibetan nature music healers and Tibetan meditative musical artists. 

The Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival consists of a series of cultural events that will take place over 10 days. There are seven components to the fest: Never Stop Discovering Retrospective, Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Art Exhibition, Discovering Fairyland Photography Exhibition, Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Concert, Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Workshop, Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Gourmet and Discovering Classic Land Rover.

The Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival will be open until July 21. The festival will bring a variety of exciting activities and experiences to art lovers in Shanghai, including paintings, videos, photographs, handicrafts, musical performances, books, gourmet food, the Land Rover ‘Never Stop Discovering’ journey, and the Songtsam Yunnan-Tibet line by the Songtsam Group. Visitors can also enjoy the diverse Yunnan-Tibet culture and scenery through an immersive visual, auditory, olfactory and tasting experience.

The Modern Media Group has long focused on the spread of diverse cultures and arts, from text to visual to other sensory means. The Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival will bring the most authentic flavors of the Yunnan-Tibetan culture to Shanghai and offer those interested in learning about cultural diversity and cultural exchanges. It provides the opportunity to explore this mysterious region without leaving Shanghai. 

One of the highlights of the Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival is the Thangka Chapter in the Discovering Yunnan-Tibet art exhibition. The organizers invited Level One Thangka Master Chizeng Raodan and Mima Ciren to recapture the longest ancient trading route in the world. The Yunnan-Tibet route is blessed with a rich history, breathtaking scenery and diverse ethnic culture. ZiWU, whose mission is to provide a banquet of cultural diversification, hosted the exquisite live production of a traditional Tibetan thangka during the first day of the festival.

 Visitors had the chance to relive Land Rover’s 2018 ‘Never Stop Discovering Journey’ while viewing the live thangka session. They also joined the Land Rover ‘Discoverers’ as they traverse the mysterious and majestic landscape of the region, discover the exotic culture of the locals, experience the Songtsam Group’s Linka and Mountain Cabin series boutique hotels, and immerse themselves in the natural wonders along the Yunnan-Tibet line.

Hu Bo and representatives from Jaguar Land Rover China and Chery Jaguar Land Rover spoke at the event.

“Half a month ago, we invited judges and media representatives from the Land Rover Self Driving Route Grading Committee to drive Land Rover Discovery SUVs through complex and ever-changing terrains to kick off the ‘New Yunnan-Tibet Line’ discovery journey and to witness the opening ceremony of this year’s ‘Never Stop Discovering – Discovering Land Rover Star-Rated Routes’ event at the line’s destination, Lhasa. For those who cannot make it to the ‘New Yunnan-Tibet Line’ themselves, Land Rover joined forces with the Songtsam Group and Modern Media to present this 10-day Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival, to present a complete view of the Yunnan-Tibet region’s history, culture and lifestyle though a variety of Yunnan-Tibetan artworks.”

The Culture Festival’s Discovering Fairyland Photography Exhibition will take place in the Modern Eye space. Visitors will peek through the lenses of artist and businessman Pema Dorjee and 30-year veteran National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita to see the majestic mountains and serene lakes of the Yunnan-Tibet region.

In addition to photography, Pema Dorjee’s documentaries will be shown on the second floor of ZiWU as part of the Discovering Fairyland Photography Exhibition. Dorjee’s film takes viewers closer to the mysteries of the region and explores the spiritual world of the locals. According to Dorjee: “This is why I built Songtsam in the first place, to bring more people to the Tibet region and to give them the opportunity to encounter Tibetan culture and appreciate the magnificent scenery. I hope to help them find the hidden key to the mythical kingdom of Shambhala and to uncover their source of happiness.”

Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture

The Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Workshop, situated on the third floor of ZiWU, has carefully curated local handicrafts, including copper kitchenware and decorative pieces, silverware and handmade Tibetan rugs. 

Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Gourmet will take visitors on a culinary tour of the Yunnan-Tibet region. Visitors can enjoy traditional snacks from the Ancient Tea Horse Road or head over to the Modern Art Kitchen next to the ZiWU space to enjoy regional safranin-themed nibbles and desserts. 

The Culture Week also features the Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Concert. The concert will feature Vajra Sattva music played with traditional Tibetan instruments. The colorful prayer flags and maryni stones that dot every river and lake in the Tibetan region exemplify Tibetans’ traditional blessings. Visitors can personally hand-print prayer flags using traditional techniques and paint maryni stones in the Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Workshop. 

The Never Stop Discovering Yunnan-Tibet Culture Festival is co-sponsored by Land Rover, Songtsam and Modern Media and co-organized by LOHAS, ZiWU and Artketing. 

Through July 21, ZiWU, 10 Jianguo Zhong Lu, Huangpu District, Shanghai

[All images courtesy of promoter]